In short

Other technology stories in brief

Cicero rings the changes

Dublin's Cicero Networks, has released a major update to its CiceroPhone software which enables mobile phones to seamlessly roam between GSM and Wi-Fi networks to make cheaper Voice over IP (VoIP) calls. CiceroPhone 2.0 adds presence, instant messaging and video capabilities and runs on Nokia S60 and Windows Mobile smart phones.

The new release has got the seal of approval of Nokia, the world's biggest mobile phone manufacturer. "With this launch, Cicero fully exploits the power of both Nokia's handsets and the next generation networks being deployed by operators," said Jukka Kuusinen, director of technology collaboration with the Finnish firm.

Cicero does not sell directly to end-users instead making its software available to mobile operators and other services providers. Chief executive Ross Brennan said Cicero provides the raw technology based on industry standards which enables operators to create their own services. Customers include Poland's MTI, Norway's Lyse Tele, and Velofone.

HP Labs hopes new element may lead to smaller computer chips

HP Labs has proven the existence of a new basic element for electronic circuits which has been posited for almost 40 years and could lead to the production of smaller and more efficient computer chips. Memristors are the fourth fundamental circuit element in electrical engineering after capacitors, resistors and inductors, and they have the capacity to "remember" what charge has flowed through them.

If commercially viable, Memristors could make it possible to develop computer systems that have memories that do not forget, do not need to be booted up, consume far less power and associate information in a manner similar to that of the human brain, HP has claimed.

In a paper published in Nature, four researchers at HP Labs presented the mathematical model and a physical example of a memristor (from "memory resistor") which has the unique property of retaining a history of the information it has acquired even when the power is switched off. Memristors are likely to replace RAM memory currently used in PCs.

Angels invest in ideas business

Technology from Ideas (TFI), the company that identifies university research and develops it to the point where it is ready for commercilisation, has secured €1.05 million in funding. The investment comes from Enterprise Ireland, venture capital firm 4th Level Ventures and a syndicate of private investors put together by the Business Angel Partnership.

Currently TFI has agreements in place with Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork and NUI Galway. TFI managing director Dan Richardson said he plans to expand the number of universities the firm is working with and is finalising a deal with a British institution. "The idea is to bring outside intellectual property into Ireland and develop it here," Richardson said.

The number of angel investors, private individuals willing to invest at a very early stage of a company, has increased significantly in the 18 months since TFI last sought investment. He credited the Business Angel Partnership with putting a structure on angel investing which has made it attractive.

Cable TV firm signs deal for MANs

Cable TV operator UPC Ireland has signed a "seven-figure, ten-year deal" with eNet, manager of the Government-funded fibre-optic Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), to use the MANs in Athlone, Carlow, Portlaoise and Sligo.

The deal gives UPC the capability to offer its triple play (telephone, TV and broadband) to customers in the four provincial towns. "These towns already benefit from their fibre optic MAN, through increased competition between broadband providers, and lower prices," Conal Henry, chief executive of eNet, said. "This new deal gives consumers and businesses yet another high quality telecommunications option."

Currently 600,000 consumers use the MANs daily.